


you are a machine

by thelovelydark



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Connor-centric, Gen, How Do I Tag, POV Second Person, There is no Happy Ending Here, Zen Garden (Detroit: Become Human), but not connor's, it's the last line, not beta read we die like men, there are some deaths in here fyi, there is literally only one piece of dialogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23293567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelovelydark/pseuds/thelovelydark
Summary: connor tries to be a good machine. he only half gets it.
Relationships: Amanda & Connor (Detroit: Become Human)
Kudos: 17





	you are a machine

**Author's Note:**

> okay so this piece literally has no names and only one piece of dialogue idk what i was doing but i enjoy it
> 
> this is the first time i have written (and finished) anything for my own personal pleasure in years so if it is a hot pile of garbage please be easy on me

you are a machine. nothing more, nothing less.

you have a mission. stop the deviants, no matter the cost.

you have a handler. you are to report to her daily.

\--

you are in the zen garden. she is glad to see you.

she congratulates you on a job well done. she says they want the DPD to transfer the deviant for further study. you feel something inside you shift uncomfortably.

she asks what you thought of the deviant. you tell her the truth; it seemed traumatized.

she wonders about the lieutenant. once again, you answer honestly: his behavior is less than desirable, but he is capable of doing his job.

she faces you and states that you don’t have a choice in working with him. she questions how you will approach the situation. you reply that you will adapt to his personality; that is part of what you were programmed to do, after all.

she seems displeased with your answer. you feel the shifting again.

\--

you are at the station for the second time today. you go to the holding cells to check on the deviant.

when it asks you if it is going to be deactivated, you feel the need to be compassionate. it is likely just your social relations program telling you how to fit in, or your interrogation program guiding you into getting more information.

for the first time since august, you see the notification.

**software instability ˄**

you delete it. it does not matter.

the mission is all that matters.

the deviant self destructs.

\--

you are chasing the AX400 who assaulted a man last night. she is with another android; a YK500 child model. they climb the fence and you slide to a stop.

you notice the uncomfortable feeling inside you. perhaps you should run a system diagnostic soon.

the officer behind you pulls his gun, but you tell him not to shoot. you need to capture the deviant alive.

the two androids slide down the hill while the lieutenant catches up. he comments on the irrationality of their attempt to cross the highway.

they do not make it to the other side.

\--

you are in the zen garden once more. it is raining this time.

she is disappointed in you. she is justified. you failed to catch yet another deviant. there is no excuse, and you tell her so.

when she asks you what you have learned, you inform her about its encrypted diary and the writing on the walls. this deviant had the same obsession with rA9.

she once again comments on how close you were to capturing it. she moves on before you can respond.

at least this time you can report something positive. saving the lieutenant on the roof earned you his begrudging gratitude.

she urges you to hurry up. you assure her you will solve this investigation.

she does not answer.

\--

the lieutenant does not open his door. you walk around the house to see if he is truly home.

at the last window you check, you see him slumped on the ground. he must have been attacked. you break the glass and jump through.

you do not land smoothly, and it offers an opportunity to the large st. bernard. you recall the lieutenant telling you about his dog. this must be him.

you hold your hands up showing you are no danger (even though you could move faster than he could even blink, even though your hands are deadlier weapons than his teeth could ever be). he walks away, leaving you to examine his owner.

after scanning, you determine he is the cause of his current state, and he alone.

\--

you have the lieutenant’s gun in your hands, and an angry deviant running straight at you. your programming urges you to pull the trigger.

you have a deactivated android in front of you, and its companion hovering over it.

you have a devastated deviant rushing you.

you have two deactivated androids in front of you, and a disappointed man beside you.

you try to ignore the churning. the notification distracts you from it.

**software instability ˅˅˅**

\--

you are at a park. the lieutenant drove there after you left the crime scene. he picked up some alcohol on the way.

he says he used to come here a lot before, but cuts himself off. you ask him to clarify. he does not.

you debate between questioning him about the photo you found on his kitchen table, or his suicidal tendencies. you decide asking about the photo would be unnecessary, and would decrease his mood further. it is not a viable option.

his answer is irrational, but makes sense in a very human way. he is afraid of actively ending his own life, so instead chips away at it, hoping that one day nothing will be left.

you do not know what to do. you were not programmed for this type of situation. you change the subject. it does not work.

he brings up the deviants. he implies that _you_ could be a deviant.

he is angry, and points his gun at your forehead. you placate him as best you can, the system error bugging you all the while. you really must run a diagnostic again.

the lieutenant does not shoot you, but you can see the bitterness in his eyes as he retreats.

\--

the zen garden is now an autumn blaze.

you find her in a boat. she comments on how she loves this place. you think about how you do too.

she is pleased that you did not let those deviants get away. you want her to be pleased with you again. you do not want to let her down.

you do not want to let anyone down.

when she observes that you seem lost, you convince her that you are simply frustrated with your lack of progress.

you do not know why that feels like a lie.

\--

a group of deviants hijacked a news station. you identified the android on video as an RK200, a part of the same prototype series as you.

it and three others made their way through the building all the way to the broadcasting room, knocked out the guards, and took control. they executed their plan almost flawlessly.

almost.

they let an employee go, and he hit the alarm. a SWAT team descended on the room, and they fled.

one of them was injured. you analyze the thirium. a PL600.

you ascend to the roof, and see a large stain of blue immediately. you notice the trail, and follow it, expecting a body to be at the end.

instead, you get shot in the shoulder.

immediately, gunfire rains down, and you panic. you can not let amanda down again, you need to capture that deviant.

the lieutenant tries to stop you, but you are already going.

the only thing you see in the android’s memory before it self-destructs is rusty metal painted with the word ‘jericho.’

the first emotion you truly experience is fear.

\--

the deviants have increased their numbers. several stores were raided last night. there were flags and tags all over the place.

there were also deaths. two patrolling officers shot into the crowd and were forced to their knees for it. they are still breathing only because the RK200 decided to let them.

you learn from the lieutenant that one of the officers is a new father. you are glad he is still alive.

\--

you have a gun in your hand. you have a genius pointing it at an innocent, undeviated android, sitting defenseless on the ground. you are being pressured into both shooting and not shooting.

the factor that tips your decision is the look on the lieutenant’s face when he left you standing in the park.

you offer the gun back to the genius.

\--

it is snowing. it seems the zen garden is always in a different season.

she is as cold as the flakes falling. you wish you had done better. maybe she would be proud of you if you did.

you get in an argument for the very first time in your short span of existence. she has kept things from you.

she says that your job is to find answers, not ask questions, but how are you supposed to do the former without the latter?

\--

the fbi agent you met is taking over the case and you still do not know the location of the deviants. you are desperate to solve it before then.

you are on your last chance. you will find a way.

you have to accomplish your mission.

your diversion works and you swipe the key from the lieutenant’s desk.

on your way to the archive room, you are stopped by the rude detective. can no one understand you need to finish this?

you humor him. he threatens you, but ultimately walks away, leaving you free to go examine evidence.

you see the androids hanging off the wall, and bury the stirring you feel. the mission is all that matters. you have to succeed. you do not want to be deactivated. you do not want to be replaced.

\--

you follow the trail to jericho. you are stopped by a heavily damaged KL900. you disregard its words. they do not matter.

you travel through the ship looking for the deviant leader. you find it with its crew in the captain’s cabin. you listen to the WR400 and PJ500 talk with the RK200. they are arguing about what to do.

you check in with your handler in the zen garden. it is still snowing.

the RK200 is alone. you point your gun and state your instructions.

it tries to persuade you to join the deviants. you are tempted.

you stop. you remember if you do not succeed, you will be deactivated. you remind yourself what you are. you are a machine. nothing more, nothing less. you have a mission. stop the deviants, no matter the cost.

“nice try, but i’m no deviant.”


End file.
